North Korea launches apparent ballistic missile into ocean

Reuters Reuters

29 March, 2020, 12:10 pm

FILE PHOTO: The flag of North Korea is seen in Geneva, Switzerland, June 20, 2017. REUTERS/Pierre Albouy

SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea fired at least one unidentified projectile into the ocean off its east coast, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Sunday, with Japan’s Ministry of Defense reporting that it appeared to be a ballistic missile.

The ministry said that the missile did not land in Japanese territory or its exclusive economic zone.

“We will continue to do our utmost to collect, analyze, and monitor information,” the ministry said in a statement on Twitter.

If confirmed as a ballistic missile, it would be the fourth such launch this month as North Korean troops conduct ongoing military drills, usually personally overseen by leader Kim Jong Un.

The last test launch was on March 21. Based on photographs released by North Korean state media, analysts identified those weapons as KN-24 short-range ballistic missiles.

United Nations Security Council resolutions bar North Korea from testing ballistic missiles, and the country has been heavily sanctioned over its missile and nuclear weapons programs.